The Syracuse Orange (5-2, 2-2) welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3, 3-1) for the first game in the JMA Dome since September. What will happen when these longtime rivals collide at Noon on the CW? Here’s what we think….

Kevin: Syracuse 31, Virginia Tech 27

There’s no glossing over what happened last week in Pittsburgh, but I trust that Kyle McCord and the offense will make some plays tomorrow. I also trust that Marlowe Wax’s return gives the Orange three defenders who can contain Kyron Drones on the edge. Wax, Justin Barron and Fadil Diggs will keep the Hokies’ quarterback from using his legs to beat the Orange. I think the defense creates two turnovers putting the offense in short field situations and Trebor Pena finds his way into the end zone twice in this one.

Dom: Syracuse 35, Virginia Tech 28

Without a doubt the toughest game to predict all year. I would’ve said Syracuse would be the clear favorite weeks ago. Then the Pitt game happened, and now Virginia Tech is entering the Dome with its hottest stretch of the season so far. I went back-and-forth on this one, and Virginia Tech’s big strengths (running the ball and toughness on the defensive line) will be a headache to deal with, but a strong home environment and a bounce back performance from the offense lead to a win in a shootout.

Mike: Syracuse 37, Virginia Tech 31

The Hokies are hot at the right time and this should be down to the wire much like several games have been already, but with the right scheming the Orange can squeeze this one out. Antwaun Powell-Ryland is a beast no question, so it’s important to work as many plays to the weak side as possible. The VT secondary is better than the inflated stats from Miami and Rutgers can show, so McCord needs to stay calm, work underneath and wear them down. Pitt had a lot of season worst performances and this is a perfect bounce back environment.

Max (5-2): Virginia Tech 30, Syracuse 24

These teams are going in opposite directions coming into this one, with Tech on a three-game win streak and the Orange getting demolished by Pitt. I had high hopes for Syracuse last week, but after ripping my heart out, I can’t back them here, even at home. The Hokies have played some of the toughest opponents in the nation (19th in SOS compared to SU’s 74th), and their balanced offensive scheme will get them the win on Saturday.

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Now it’s your turn…

— By Katie Farthing

Read on for some of the ways Virginia is ranked tops:

Our college life 

USA Today rated Charlottesville and Williamsburg as two of the best small college towns in the nation thanks to their rich history, beautiful scenery, and fun daily life. 

Our beer

Staunton has the 10th best small town beer scene, according to USA Today.   

Our museums 

We’re home to the 7th best free museum in the nation, designated by USA Today. The Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax lets visitors write song lyrics and mix mountain music, as well as see live performances. 

Our small town food scene 

Abingdon may be mini in stature, but it’s high in the small town food scene—number 3 in the country to be exact, according to USA Today.

Our niche neighborhoods

Uniquely charming and underrated, Colonial Village in Arlington is the best place to live, according to Niche. It’s all thanks to a lively nightlife, beautiful parks, highly rated-schools, and a young population of residents.  

Our airports 

Dulles International Airport is the 11th best in the world and second in the country, according to AirHelp.

This is web-exclusive content from the December 2024 issue.

Jude Joffe-Block:

There’s a pattern where people have visited the DMV, and they at some point there must have made a mistake on a form where they identified — they marked a box identifying themselves as noncitizens somewhere in those forms. We’re not really sure how exactly this happens.

But after that visit to the DMV, they got a letter in the mail from their local election official, saying, we think you might not be a citizen. Please affirm your citizenship.

We spoke to a voter, Nadra Wilson, who that letter was sent to the wrong address. It got forwarded. By the time she got it, the deadline had already passed. She was able to re-register. We spoke to another voter, Rina Shaw. She did get the letter in the mail letting her know that she had to affirm her citizenship. And she did send it back.

But, even then, she was still not on the rolls. And she was able to call and sort that out. But all of this does take time. Both of those voters did end up voting early this week, though.